Just like last year, my female drama category is only a Top 10 (instead of Top 20 for the male drama characters). Looking over my total list of female characters from drama, I just don't feel there is enough worth talking about. The dramas I watch feature many strong/interesting male characters but just not as many in the female category. Now there are of course some very strong women and they will feature in my Top 10, just not enough to fill out a Top 20. Anyway, here they are...

10. Ava Crowder (Joelle Carter) on Justified2011-2012 Rank: 11 (+1)Ava wanted more responsibility within the Crowder operations, and Boyd allowed it. It didn’t take long however for Ava to run into some trouble. First she killed a man and received some help from Ellen May (who works for Ava as a prostitute). Then Ava decides to have Ellen May killed for knowing too much, only to have that backfire and Ellen May escape to the Sheriff. Instead of going to Boyd for help she tried to do things herself and it didn’t really go to well. These issues threw a wrench in their plans to buy a house and escape the crime business.

9. Kristina Braverman (Monica Potter) on Parenthood2011-2012 Rank: 16 (+7)I’ve never really been the biggest fan of Kristina. I think she is integral to the show and very good as a wife to Adam, but the character is meant to be a bit uptight. This season however we got to see Kristina in a whole new light. In the second episode of the season, we find out quite shockingly that Kristina has breast cancer. This storyline became a driving force of yet another realistically emotional season of Parenthood. These things are always tough to navigate in television, but the show did it well and Kristina had such a wide range of emotions. She eventually defeated the cancer instead of becoming a drug kingpin.

8. Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan) on Blue Bloods2011-2012 Rank: 10 (+2)After being divorced for several years, Erin finally dropped the “-Boyle” from the end of her name. As usual, Erin (and sibling Jamie) has much less featured storylines than her detective brother Danny and commissioner ather Frank. Erin does have her moments however, and when she does it is good to see how the female Regan handles things. She is often there to either offer assistance or an argumentative voice to her NYPD family.

7. Margaret Schroeder (Kelly Macdonald) on Boardwalk Empire2011-2012 Rank: 4 (-3)Things were not looking good by the end of the season for Margaret and Nucky. They were both having affairs, Nucky with a stage actress in New York and Margaret with Nucky’s bodyguard Owen. Margaret also began a program at a local hospital to educate women about their bodies. At the end of the season, Margaret left Nucky and was carrying Owen’s baby. Drama!

6. Jackie Curatola (Jennifer Esposito) on Blue Bloods2011-2012 Rank: 6 (-)I’ve always really liked Detective Curatola, but unfortunately her time on Blue Bloods was cut short this past year. After about a third of the season, Jackie suddenly decided to take a leave of absence. It turns out the actress, Jennifer Esposito, asked for a limited roll due to her battle with Celiac Disease, but it appears as if after initially doing so that the show or the network decided to completely cut ties with her. Jackie was a refreshing presence in a world full of Reagans. I’m not sure they’ll find someone to quite fill her shoes as Danny’s partner. Maybe that’s why there seemed to be a revolving door of characters filling that void this season.

5. Amber Holt (Mae Whitman) on Parenthood2011-2012 Rank: 3 (-2)I have always believed Amber is underutilized on Parenthood, and it felt even more so this past season. I know the focus is more on the adults in the Braverman clan, but I really want to see more regarding Amber. Her biggest storyline this season involved dating a Veteran who has psychological issues.

4. Fiona Gallagher (Emmy Rossum) on Shameless2011-2012 Rank: 8 (+4)Fiona has always taken care of her five siblings virtually on her own since her parents are deadbeats. She decided to make things permanent and won custody of her siblings away from their father Frank. On top of that Fiona found a pretty good office job. It seems as if things are going well for her, but her boyfriend Jimmy/Steve got into trouble with a South American mobster and may or may not have been killed at the end of the season.

3. Elizabeth Burke (Tiffani Thiessen) on White Collar2011-2012 Rank: 7 (+4)Even though Elizabeth is not the star of the show, I think White Collar would be much different without her. Though Peter has grown quite fond of his partner and former criminal Neal as well as Neal’s criminal buddy Mozzie, Elizabeth was the first to really accept them and show her support to Peter. Elizabeth sees the good in them, even if they are/were criminals. She may not be involved in much of the action that her FBI agent husband sees, but she has her opportunities. In one episode this year, Peter and Elizabeth were kidnapped by thieves who were not aware that Peter was an agent. Elizabeth used her charm and quick thinking to help Peter outsmart the kidnappers.

2. Lily Bell (Dominique McElligot) on Hell on Wheels2011-2012 Rank: 2 (-)I know my write-ups contain spoilers here and there, but…SPOILER!!!!!!!!! Every once in a while, especially in the drama and scifi/fantasy category, a major character is killed off. Let’s face it, death is drama. So unfortunately death found its way to Hell on Wheels for one Lily Bell. She was the female strength of the show, and the person who was able to open up Cullen’s heart again after his family was murdered years ago. It will be interesting to see how Cullen reacts to this, and if they bring in another female lead.

1. Joss Carter (Taraji P. Henson) on Person of Interest2011-2012 Rank: 1 (-)Things got a bit dark for Carter this season. It is clear that she has completely bought into "The Machine" and what John and Finch are doing to help people. Not only did she continue to help her boys with secretly saving people outside the law, she was also dealing with some internal issues at work. The presence of HR, a group of corrupt cops and officials, became a stronger presence on the show. Some of the people closest to her on the force were either killed or were a part of HR. She even went as far as to help her partner Fusco (who was formerly of HR) by digging up the grave (and moving the body) of a dirty cop Fusco once killed before the body was discovered.